newsCO.com.au | Cheryl brushes off speculation over her love life at charity centre opening – Music News

Cheryl has made her first public appearance amid rumours of a split from boyfriend Liam Payne.

The British singer and talent show judge made a glamorous appearance at the opening of the new Cheryl’s Trust Centre, a charity she has founded alongside the Prince’s Trust, in her native Newcastle, England, on Tuesday (20Feb18).

Cheryl arrived at the centre dressed in a camel coat paired with a baby blue polo-neck and ripped jeans in her first public appearance since speculation began that she and former One Direction singer Liam, 24, are having relationship difficulties.

The 34-year-old, who first established her charity back in 2015 in a bid to help disadvantaged youngsters in her hometown, joined the BBC Breakfast show to speak about the new state-of-the-art centre before facing questions about the split rumours.

“This has been ongoing for many years,” she said of the centre. “I’m over the moon to be here. I want to start in the heart of Newcastle because this is my home town,” the popstar, who found fame in girl band Girls Aloud, explained.

BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker then took the questioning in a more personal direction, asking the former The X Factor judge, “Is a day like this frustrating for you when a lot of your personal life is in the papers at the moment?”

“Is it frustrating?”, Cheryl replied. “No, it doesn’t bother me at all. My sole purpose is on this and I’ve waited seven years to be here and none of that matters – this is most important to me.”

“This is really a hard thing for me as this is where I’m from. I want to help all over the country but I wanted to start in my own town as I struggled myself as a teen and I don’t know where I’d be now (without my big break),” the Fight For This Love hitmaker added.

The launch comes amid claims Liam has sought legal advice, with friends claiming he and Cheryl are weeks away from splitting up. The couple, who are not married but live together in a Surrey mansion, are reportedly considering going their separate ways after it was claimed the relationship was “under strain”, due to Liam spending nights away from home while the singer looks after their 10-month-old son, Bear.